


In My Head

by LauraRoslin



Category: Star Trek: Voyager
Genre: Cutthroat Fiction, F/M, JC Cutthroat Fiction, delta - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-01
Updated: 2018-04-30
Packaged: 2019-04-30 11:39:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,025
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14496171
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LauraRoslin/pseuds/LauraRoslin
Summary: Benevolent aliens of light are eager to trade with Voyager's crew, but sometimes things are too good to be true.





	1. Chapter 1

Solid ground crunched beneath Kathryn’s boots and she breathed in the gritty air, a light wind stirring up just enough of the loose dirt to irritate her lungs and eyes. She blinked a few times, tears forming and then slowly disappearing as she tilted her head up and away from the two bright suns. 

“Is it always this hot, Kilo? This is why I avoid deserts.” Tom’s voice held a fair amount of annoyance and Kathryn silently agreed with him.

“No, our temperatures are usually much cooler. You have caught us during our double days,” their guide answered, turning her head back to see them. 

“Double days?” Kathryn tilted her head and walked faster to keep pace with her away team. 

“Our two suns,” Kilo pointed out, gesturing her hand vaguely toward the eastern sky. “This time of year, we are between our two stars and our atmosphere maintains much heat. With no nights, the planet never cools down.”

“That sounds awful.” Tom wrinkled his nose and glanced at Tuvok, silently following them. 

“It is mild compared to Vulcan,” he said after a moment. Kathryn looked away and a small smile crossed her lips. 

“Vulcan?” Kilo stopped and fully turned around to face them.

“My home planet,” Tuvok answered.

“Oh. You’re not all from this… Earth?”

“No, we come from many planets,” Kathryn moved closer to Kilo as she answered. 

“We would love to hear all about it at the banquet tonight. You’ll join us, won’t you?” Kilo beamed brightly, and Kathryn couldn’t help the widening of her own smile.

“We would be happy to. Are you sure you wish to invite my entire crew? There are many more than the three of us.”

“We can support thousands, but your ship does not appear that big, Captain.”

“No, she’s not.” She laughed softly and nodded her head in understanding. “I will extend the invitation when we return. Thank you.”

“It is our pleasure. Now, we’re almost to the Temple. We’ll be there before dark.” Kilo giggled at her own joke and Tom groaned softly. Kathryn gave him a look and continued after their guide.   
They saw the spires of the Temple first, tall and narrow as they rose above the horizon. Kilo excitedly pointed out various aspects of her home, rarely silent as the Temple rose higher and higher in front of them. By the time they stood near the base half an hour later, the spires were no longer visible, lost in perspective and distance. The away team was now surrounded by buildings that looked like they had grown from the desert ground, towering above them and providing much needed shade. 

Kilo broke off the busy main pathway and led them along a narrower yet elegant road. The packed dirt gave way to dusty sandstone for a few meters before the dust cleared away and left well-defined sandstone. As they approached a low building, all sandstone and dust disappeared, and they instead walked on a faintly glowing, pebbled walkway. Kilo’s steps grew lighter as she walked up glowing steps, Kathryn, Tom, and Tuvok silently following her. 

She stopped just outside the doors and a bead of sweat rolled down the side of her face. “You’ll have to leave your shoes outside,” she explained. “The Temple is clean of dust at all times. The votaries may request you change as well.”

Kathryn noticed Tom’s confusion as they each leaned against the side of the building and pushed their boots off, but he said nothing, and she remained silent as well. 

“How many votaries are in the Temple?” Kathryn finally asked, shifting from foot to foot to keep her sock-covered feet off the hot walkway. 

“In the entire Temple? Hundreds, but there are thousands across the city.” Kilo pushed the large door open with surprising ease and led them into the welcoming cool air of the Temple. “People travel from across Tylus to become votaries.”

Before she could say another word, three shadows emerged from behind a pillar and hurried toward them. They were completely silent, their movements making not a single sound. They moved and stopped as one, and their black cloaks hid all features of their faces and bodies. Kilo stepped closer and extended her arm toward the figure standing slightly in front of the other two; her eyes fluttered shut. Kathryn watched as the form raised what she assumed was an arm, but the cloak covered all. Kilo slipped her hand inside and within seconds, opened her eyes and stepped back.

The entire exchange took no longer than a minute, but confusion and curiosity stretched out the moment. Kathryn’s emotions were displayed on her face and weren’t swayed with Kilo looked at her and laughed.

“The votaries do not speak; they have taken vows of utter silence, actually. Instead, they communicate through touch and telepathy. Only assistants and apprentices to the votaries can understand them.”

“What did they say?” Kathryn’s hand rested on her hip as she watched Kilo and the three shadows. 

“They request you change before they’ll allow you to proceed with your meeting.” She folded her hands in front of herself and smiled. “They have three gowns for you I’ll pick up.”

“Captain…” Tuvok stepped to Kathryn’s side and she turned her head to see him. “May I suggest someone stay here during the meeting?”

“Good idea, Tuvok. Are you volunteering?” A small smile tugged at her lips. 

“I will, Captain.”

A frown crossed Kilo’s expression as she watched the exchange. “You’ll have to wait outside the Temple if you don’t go. There is shade and I can find sustenance for you.”

Tuvok nodded his head once in understanding and retreated back outside, leaving Tom and Kathryn alone with three shadows and Kilo. The smallest shadow raised their arm and the door silently closed behind Tuvok. 

“I’ll be back with the gowns. I’m sure the Luminary is excited to meet with you.” Kilo hurried off and the votaries silently followed. 

Within moments, Kathryn had her tricorder out and started walking around the large room, weaving in and out of pillars as she scanned. Tom started his own scans, their footsteps suddenly loud in the room which had been so silent. 

As soon as Kilo returned—alone—and Kathryn and Tom were changed into coarse black gowns, they left the entry hall and started along dim hallways. They twisted and turned until Kathryn knew she couldn’t find her way out on her own, but Kilo silently lead the way. She could feel Tom’s curiosity start to rise, but they finally spilled into an incredibly large room before he could say anything.

After the dim lighting of the hallways, the sudden sunlight struck Kathryn blind for a few moments and the temperature was a few degrees warmer, making the thick gown almost uncomfortable. As the spots receded and her vision returned, she started looking around what she could see of the room.

“Step forward and great the Luminary,” Kilo murmured, gesturing for them to move further into the room. 

Kathryn hesitated for a brief moment before she looked at Tom and they stepped forward together. Once they moved past the large pillars guarding the door, the room opened up. It was completely empty save for a dais on the opposite side. Shadows dotted the raised area and as they moved closer, she realized they were more shadowy votaries. In the center of the shadows, a lighter figure seemed to fade in and out of view without moving. Kathryn’s brow furrowed as they approached the votaries, the edges of the middle figure never solidifying. 

“I’m Captain Kathryn Janeway of the Federation starship Voyager,” she finally introduced, her eyes scanning from one shadow to the next, unsure if or how she’d receive a response.

The lighter figure moved closer in complete silence. Their shape fizzled and morphed, growing as it extended towards her. A light shock went through Kathryn’s body as the shadow connected with her, and then a sense of peace filtered through her body. 

_Welcome, Captain Janeway._

The voice wasn’t in her head, but all around her. Filling the space she occupied. It was deep but welcoming, and many other emotions she couldn’t identify. 

_This is a new experience for you. Are you okay with this method of communication?_

“I am,” she answered after a moment, struggling to process what was going on. Tom’s confusion and alertness rolled off him in waves. “I don’t think most of my crew will be okay with it at tonight’s banquet.”

_I have already made arrangements for tonight, do not worry. This is what is simply most comfortable for us._

“You are the Luminary, then?”

_Please, call me Vaela. You are guests, not disciples._

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Vaela, and thank you for hosting not just us but my ship and crew on Tylus.” She smiled and watched Vaela, unsure of where to look.

_It is not often we make contact with outsiders, and even rarer we allow them to land. Your story, however, is one that resonated with me and my votaries. We want to help any way we can._

“Thank you. If I may ask… Do you have a solid form?”

_Normally, no. We are beings of energy, light. We can inhabit a body for a physical form, which is what we will do tonight._

An alarm went off in Kathryn’s head and Vaela sensed it immediately.

_Do not worry, Captain. The bodies are inhabited voluntarily, and they do not suffer during our presence or after we leave. We are able to cure them of any afflictions, so our volunteers are the sick and elderly._

“That’s… incredible.” She smiled and took in the full being of light before her.

_You have wonders of your own._

Kathryn let out a soft laugh and nodded. “I’m sure we do, and we’re happy to offer anything we can in exchange for your generosity.”

_We will discuss it tonight. Do you or your crew have any pressing needs?_

“Lieutenant, is there anything B’Elanna needs urgently to repair the warp core or can it wait for negotiations tonight?”

Tom shook his head to clear his confusion and then cleared his throat. “If you ask her, everything is urgent. I think a supply of deuterium will be enough to get her started on repairs, though.”

_We will have it sent to your ship within the hour._

“Thank you, Vaela. Thank you.”

_We are happy to help, Captain. Please, return with your crew for dinner tonight._

“Gladly.” Kathryn smiled and Vaela withdrew, taking the peace and calm with her. 

The heat returned to her body and she shivered from the change, a cloudiness and beginning of a headache settling over her.


	2. Chapter 2

As the transporter room materialized around Kathryn, a light pain blossomed out from the center of her head. She closed her eyes for a moment to steady herself before opening them and stepping off the transporter pad. Just the drinks and excitement from tonight, she told herself. She turned to find Chakotay standing by the control console, a look of concern on his face.

“I’m fine,” she said immediately, a small smile punctuating her words.

“Headache?”

She paused a moment to appreciate how well he knew her, inside and out. “A small one. I’m sure it’s the drinks the Luminaries served.” She shrugged and took his offered arm, allowing herself to lean into him slightly.

“I assume you won’t let the Doctor look you over?”

“No chance.” She smiled and rubbed his arm with her free hand, following beside him as he walked into the corridor. “I’ll be fine by morning.”

He rested his hand over hers as they walked, the ship surprisingly quiet despite the crew’s return from the planet’s surface. She enjoyed the silence on the walk to their quarters, her headache already subsiding as she breathed in the familiar, circulated air of her ship.

She changed into pajamas and settled into bed beside Chakotay, her head resting on his chest and his fingers combing through her hair. She relaxed into him, her eyes open but her mind at rest save for the lingering threads of pain.

“How did negotiations go?” His voice was soft, his fingers continuing their motion.

“Very well,” she answered after a moment, tilting her head up so she could see him. “I’m still upset you wanted to stay on the ship.”

“Someone had to play watch dog.” He chuckled, and she rolled her eyes, her arm stretching out to rest across his stomach.

“Tuvok was more than ready to, and he is Chief of Security. And you would’ve enjoyed the dinner far more than him.”

“I’m sorry.” His fingers stopped, and he lifted his head to press a kiss to her hair. “Something told me not to go and I wasn’t going to argue with that feeling.”

“Why didn’t you say something?”

“You didn’t give me much of a chance.” His hand moved from her hair to her back, his fingers gently kneading the always-tense muscles.

“I’m sorry. I was looking forward to even a few hours of shore leave with you.” She absentmindedly drew shapes on his stomach as she looked up at him.

“We’ll get shore leave together. I promise,” he murmured, briefly squeezing her close before he resumed his massage.

“When we get back to Earth?”

“Before then. The next friendly, beautiful planet.”

She laughed softly, not entirely out of humor. “Friendly planets seem to be few and far between, let alone beautiful ones.”

“Have faith.” He smiled and continued working on a larger knot, only stopping when he felt the tension release.

“You’re the faithful one. I’m the scientist.”

“I’m both, you just only see the faith.” She let out a hum of agreement and shifted to a more comfortable position, the massage lulling her to sleep. “Get some rest.”

An incoming communication woke Kathryn early before her shift, Chakotay still sound asleep beside her. She stretched over him to grab her combadge and felt his arm tighten around her side. With a small smile, she settled back against him and tapped the golden surface.

“This is Janeway.”

“Captain, our shields have lost point four percent of power in the past four hours.” Tuvok’s voice filtered through her sleepy mind, but she couldn’t process the words for a moment.

“Four percent?”

“Point four,” he corrected, and Kathryn held back the urge to roll her eyes.

“What’s the cause?”

“Lieutenant Torres is attempting to determine that now.”

“I’ll review her findings at the start of shift, unless it’s something urgent.”

“Yes, Captain.”

She ended the link and halfheartedly tossed her combadge back to the nightstand before she rested her head against Chakotay’s chest.

“Emergency?” he murmured, barely awake.

“Not even close. Go back to sleep.” She kissed his chest and closed her eyes.

His arm shifted around her waist and anchored her to his side, allowing her to relax back against him. “How’s your headache?”

“Faded,” she murmured, her head easily nestling under his chin. “Should be gone by the time we wake up again.”

“Good.” His answer was more of a hum than a full word and she felt the vibrations through his chest.

Three hours later, Kathryn stepped onto the bridge, involuntarily wincing as the bright lights invaded her senses and pushed every thought but pain out of her head. She didn’t realize she had stopped moving until her eyes focused and she found her bridge crew staring at her.

“Captain?” Chakotay’s voice held more than a hint of concern, but she brushed them all off with a wave of her hand.

“I remembered a report I need to finish,” she explained lamely. “I’ll be in my ready room.”

Her first officer nodded, and she barely managed not to squint as she turned on her heels and quickly stepped off the bridge. She sank onto the couch beneath the view ports, dimmed the lights, and squeezed her eyes closed. The pounding in her head lessened without the lights and she kept a silent count of time. Just before she reached two minutes, her door chimed and Chakotay stepped in without waiting for her response.

“Your head still hurting?”

She blinked her eyes a few times and looked at him, managing a weak hum. “Bordering on migraine right now,” she admitted.

“Do you need to be on duty?” Before she could argue, he held up his hand. “We’re at warp 6 and Tom is keeping us on track for home. Go see the Doctor for your headache and if something comes up, Tuvok and I can handle it.”

“Chakotay…”

“Kathryn.” He gave her a look and watched as her resolve withered before him. “You’d rather take care of the headache now before it becomes a full-blown migraine, wouldn’t you?”

He offered his hand to her and gently pulled her to her feet. She leaned into his chest, her arms wrapping around him to anchor herself. He rested a hand on her back to gently hold her close and pressed a kiss to her head.

“Get some rest,” he murmured into her bun, lightly rubbing her back.

“Are you sure you’ll be okay?” She tilted her head and looked up at him.

“Do you think I’m a competent first officer?”

A small smile briefly crossed her lips before she leaned up to kiss the corner of his mouth. “Thank you.”

“Now go rest.” He rubbed her back and then stepped away, returning her smile.

She watched him turn and walk back to the bridge, and then arranged for a transport to Sick Bay.

* * *

After a trip to the Doctor, a hypospray, and orders to rest, Kathryn curled up in bed with the lights off and the blankets pulled over her head. She closed her eyes and took slow breaths, managing to relax enough to fall asleep. Strange images and dreams floated by as she slept, never fully taking shape and always just out of reach. They left mere impressions, nothing more than a whisper once they passed. When she woke up hours later to Chakotay returning from duty, her head pounded worse than before.

With a weak moan, she rolled over in bed and shoved her face into her pillow, but the faint fragrance of her shampoo only worsened her headache. She turned her head enough to breathe, her eyes opening when she heard footsteps approaching her.

Chakotay’s hand gently touched her arm, fingers lightly stroking in a circle. “Did the Doctor give you a hypospray?” His voice was soft, somehow at a perfect pitch that it didn’t irritate her head.

“Helped for a bit,” she answered, her voice even softer. “Might be time for another.”

“I’ll go get one.” He continued his movements and then gave her arm a quick squeeze. “Some water too.”

“I love you.” She managed a weak smile.

He kissed her forehead and smiled in return. “I love you too, Kathryn. I’ll be right back.”


	3. Chapter 3

Kathryn’s headache persisted, never disappearing so much as forgotten and ignored. With clear, safe space ahead of them for several lightyears, she busied herself by investigating the gremlins attacking Voyager’s systems. 

She stepped through the doors into Engineering before they were completely open, immediately spotting B’Elanna on the upper level. Her lieutenant met her at the bottom of the ladder, hands on her hips. 

“I can’t find anything wrong, Captain!” B’Elanna’s frustration was evident in everything from her tone to her stance. She threw her hands up and gestured behind her to the warp core. “Nothing seems to be causing the power fluctuations and I have no idea what is draining our shields and power.”

“How much have we lost so far?” Kathryn briefly touched her fingers to her temple and then moved her hands to her own hips. “And how long can we continue losing power?”

“We’re down almost eleven percent on power and over eight percent on shields. I managed to get two percent back of both, but it won’t make a difference.” B’Elanna shook her head and huffed, crossing her arms. “There aren’t any immediate consequences, but if we don’t figure this out, we’ll be in trouble once someone gets mad at us.”

“Damn it…” Kathryn took a deep breath and glanced at the warp core, the blue light causing a brief spike in her headache. “The warp core is okay?”

“Computer hasn’t detected any abnormal variations. Not yet, at least. Oh, but I have great news.” The sarcasm layer over her voice caused Kathryn’s stomach to drop a little.

“Oh?”

“A bioneural gel pack malfunctioned—no known cause—and three of the replacements were corrupted when I inspected them. Those damn gremlins.” B’Elanna scowled and all but growled the last word. 

“We’re down four gel packs?” Kathryn rolled her eyes and then closed them for a few brief moments. She said nothing, just focused on her breathing. “I know I don’t have to tell you but keep looking into it; there’s a cause somewhere. I’ll send everyone we can spare and run diagnostics from the Bridge.”

“You’ll know if we find something.” Kathryn nodded and slowly made her way from Engineering up to the Bridge. 

As she walked down the corridor, she felt the ship drop out of warp. Confused, she reached for her combadge, but Voyager gave a loud, creaking shudder and listed to the side. Kathryn slammed into the bulkhead, her shoulder immediately blossoming in pain. Before she could get her bearings, the ship tilted again. She managed to find purchase and hold on, somehow staying on her feet as Voyager continued rocking like an ancient ship on the seas. 

She loosened her grip on the bulkhead and tapped her combadge, the movements starting to aggravate her stomach on top of her head. 

“Janeway to the Bridge.”

“Tuvok here, Captain,” came the immediate reply.

“What happened?!”

“We lost inertial dampers. Lieutenant Torres has prioritized fixing them and determining the cause.”

“I’m heading back to Engineering, then. Keep me updated, Tuvok.”

“Yes, Captain.” The commlink ended and Kathryn let out a loud groan, grateful no one was nearby in the corridor.

She turned back around and kept a tight hold on the bulkhead as she stumbled back to Engineering, instantly assaulted by alarms and voices as she stepped through the doors. 

“Captain! We lost inertial dampers and our shields dropped down to fifty percent! If I can’t figure out what’s wrong, I can’t damn well fix it!” B’Elanna stormed up to her, hands moving wildly as she talked. 

Kathryn held up her hand to stop B’Elanna’s rant, instinctively reaching out to steady herself as Voyager shuddered and jerked once more. Nothing was close enough, so both women tumbled to the ground. Kathryn managed to pillow her head but hit her same shoulder. She withheld her wince of pain and immediately sat up, blinking her eyes until they focused. B’Elanna was already getting to her feet and helped Kathryn up, both holding on to each other as Voyager continued shaking. 

“We need to get that fixed!”

“I know,” B’Elanna huffed and let go of her hand. “I’m going back to my diagnostic.”

“I’ll help.”

They hurried to neighboring consoles and both held on with one hand as they worked with the other, shifting with the ship’s rocking in an attempt to stay on their feet. Kathryn leaned forward against the console, eyes squinting to read the computer’s readout and ignoring her worsening headache and aching shoulder. 

“B’Elanna, I think I—” Grey spots appeared in her vision and she felt a sudden surge of nausea, forcing her to double over on the console.

“Captain?”

Kathryn blinked her eyes several times to try to clear the spots, but instead they grew worse until her eyes rolled back in her head and she slumped to the ground. 

B’Elanna barely took a step toward Kathryn before she sat up, her eyes still rolled back in her head. She stopped short at the sight of the whites of her eyes and the slow opening of her mouth. 

“I am Vaela, the Luminary of Tylus.” It sounded like Kathryn’s voice, but like it was from the opposite end of a large, echoing cave. 

The voice caused everyone within earshot of her to stop and stare, one lieutenant reaching for their combadge.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” Kathryn’s head turned toward the lieutenant, an eyebrow arching up. 

The lieutenant stopped and then slowly lowered their hand before backing away from B’Elanna and Kathryn. She looked back at B’Elanna and slowly stood up, her body wobbling with the rocking of Voyager, but her voice unaffected. 

“I’d like to see your captain now.” She stopped and a wicked smile contorted Kathryn’s features. “Oh, wait. I am your captain.” With a wave of her hand, the ship’s jerking ceased. Barely a moment later, her combadge chirped.

“Captain, we just lost all shields and warp core, but inertial dampers are back online. What did you and B’Elanna do?” 

Kathryn ignored the hail until Chakotay repeated it, concern edging into his voice. 

“You captain is no longer here,” she finally said, her eyes slowly moving from person to person and keeping track of them. “I am Vaela, Luminary of Tylus. Your sensors should be picking up four ships in the distance. They will be within weapon’s range in less than ten minutes and with no shields, your ship and crew don’t stand a chance.”

There was silence from the other end.

“I wouldn’t bother sending a security detail to apprehend me. It would be very easy for me to damage your very fragile captain. You wouldn’t want anything to happen to her, would you, Chakotay?”

“Don’t hurt her.”

“I hope I don’t have to. She’s provided a very comfortable little shell these past few days. But we need your ship and we know you won’t give it up, so we used her to gain an advantage over you.” She paused, another smile twisting her face. “I’ll be on the bridge shortly to help my people dock with my new ship.” She gave the surrounding crowd of crew one last look before she turned and confidently strode out of the room. 

She reached the Bridge, easily tossing the phasers out of Tuvok’s and Chakotay’s hands with a wave of her own hand as she stepped out of the turbolift. She rolled her eyes and sank into the captain’s chair with the normal ease of Kathryn; her eyes still rolled back in her head showed she was anything but herself. 

“We don’t have time to find a nice little planet for you to settle on, so you’ll have to take the escape pods. They’ll sustain you long enough.” She gasped and clapped her hands together like a gleeful child and turned to face Chakotay. “They’ll last you long enough to get back to Tylus! You can settle there. Oh, and don’t worry. I’ll let your little captain go. I won’t need her much longer.”

The bridge was silent, not even Tom making a remark. 

“I don’t want to hurt anyone. Your captain will actually be better off once I leave her body. Those headaches she’s had won’t bother her any longer.” She shrugged and fell silent, occupying herself by watching the viewscreen and the four ships growing larger by the moment. 

It didn’t take long before Voyager’s crew was rounded up and shepherded to the escape pods. Tylians patrolled the corridors, ensuring the crew followed orders. There weren’t many of them, but Vaela’s foothold meant they didn’t need force to overtake the ship. Kathryn remained on the bridge with the senior officers, lightly running her fingers over each console and chair. The senior officers stood by the turbolift, hands clasped in front of them. 

“They’re free to go,” she finally said, waving her hand toward the crew without looking up from the conn. “Escort them to their escape pod.”

“Not without Kathryn.” Chakotay stepped forward, causing Kathryn to turn around and raise an eyebrow. 

“I said I’ll let her go and she’ll be safe with you, once I’m done. Now get off my ship.” She scowled and crossed her arms. 

“Why should I take your word?”

“Because I haven’t hurt her yet and you don’t have a choice. And if you don’t leave now, I’ll change my mind.”

“I’m not leaving this bridge without her.” He took another step closer, eyes narrowed. 

A Tylian stepped forward, but B’Elanna moved between him and Chakotay, quickly adopting a fighting stance. Kathryn rolled her eyes, but suddenly leaned forward and grasped the edge of the conn’s chair. 

“What’s… going on?” she ground out, eyes squeezing shut. “Chakotay?”

“Kathryn!”

He started toward her, but she jerked upright, and he saw her eyes hadn’t changed. 

“She’s stronger than I anticipated. I would be willing to bet harming you will calm her down.” She looked at Chakotay and grinned, before doubling over once more.

While she was distracted, B’Elanna attacked the Tylian guard, knocking them to the ground. Tuvok took the second guard out and dropped him in front of the turbolift. Chakotay rested his hand on Kathryn’s back, leaving space as she fought Vaela. 

“Come on, Kathryn,” he urged. “Fight it.”

“No!” Vaela shrieked and dug her nails into the chair, leaving marks. 

“Get out!” Kathryn’s words were barely comprehensible between her groans of pain and Vaela’s cries. “Get! Out! Of! My! Head!” 

She threw her head back and started to fall, but Chakotay caught her and wrapped her in his arms. She shuddered and cried out again before her body went tense and a light burst from her body. It filled the Bridge and he ducked his head, hugging Kathryn close.


	4. Chapter 4

The light filled the room and their thoughts with overwhelming waves of angry shouts. He tried to tune them out to think while searching for a pulse on Kathryn’s neck. 

“Off the bridge,” he finally shouted, hoping the rest of the bridge crew could hear him. “Now! Go!”

He gently threw Kathryn over his shoulder and squinted his eyes enough to make out the conn. Quickly, he typed in the command to block the launch of the escape pods and then an order to decompress the Bridge and eject it into space. With a countdown of ten seconds, he blindly sprinted for Kathryn’s ready room, the doors sealing just before anything loose in the Bridge was sucked into space. 

He checked her pulse once more before he stood up to push oxygen back into the bridge again, constantly glancing at her. She barely stirred, only letting out a soft groan. 

“You’ll be okay,” he murmured as he picked her back up and slowly stepped onto the Bridge again. It was clear of the Tylians and Vaela, and he saw a light floating away from the ship in the viewscreen. 

He tapped his combadge after settling Kathryn in her chair. “The Bridge is clear. Tuvok, find a security detail to round up the rest of the Tylians and get them back to their ships. B’Elanna, work on getting our shields online and repairing whatever other damage these aliens did to our systems. I’ll be with the captain in Sick Bay.”

As he spoke, he entered commands to transport them both to Sick Bay. He wrapped his arms around Kathryn and held her gently but securely to his chest as the Bridge disappeared and they rematerialized several decks below. He lowered her onto a biobed and slid his hand along her arm until he could lace his fingers with hers. He hardly listened to the Doctor and barely answered his questions as he examined her, his eyes never leaving her face. 

“She’s fine,” he finally said, his confusion evident in his voice. “She’s better than fine. Better than her previous scans.”

“Better?” Chakotay shook his head and gave her hand a firm squeeze. “Then why isn’t she conscious?”

“Exhaustion, from what I can tell. She should wake up in a few hours and then she’ll need rest. I’m ordering her off duty for a week.”

“I’ll make sure she obeys.” He managed a small smile and brushed Kathryn’s hair back from her face. “She’ll be out for a few more hours?”

“Yes, she will. I’m going to give her a minor sedative to make sure she does.” The Doctor continued working as he spoke, never glancing up to Chakotay.

“I’m going to help with repairs, but I want to know the moment she’s awake.” He gave her hand another squeeze and then kissed her forehead. “Get some rest and I’ll be back. I love He forced himself to leave the room, heading for Engineering at a brisk walk. 

It wasn’t a surprise to find Engineering filled with sounding alarms, calls between crewmembers, and B’Elanna’s constant shouts and swears from somewhere across the room. He followed her voice and found her legs sticking out from under a panel. He kicked one with his foot.

“What the—” She pulled out and sat up, a glare on her face even after realizing who had kicked her. “Make yourself useful, Chakotay.”

“That’s what I’m here for. What do you need?”

“Everything. Internal sensors have gone haywire, warp core is destabilizing, and something is still draining our shields and power, faster than before. Not to mention the converter assembly is behaving abnormally. Probably what is actually damaging shields and power.” She scoffed and pushed herself back under the panel, her hand shooting back out and pointing at a tool just out of her reach. “Hand me that.”

He passed her the instrument and kneeled down beside her. “I can take a look at the converter assembly and see if that helps.” He pushed her other instruments closer and stood back up. 

“Try equalizing environmental subroutine C-47 with a port phase emitter and, if that doesn’t work, try the forced holoconverter,” she added, and he nodded, knowing she couldn’t see him. 

“You’ll know if I get it fixed.”

He quickly made his way to the upper level of Engineering and grabbed a repair pack, securing it on before climbing into a Jeffries tube and crawling through the ship in search of the converter assembly. 

By the time repairs were well under way and Voyager had enough power to limp along, Chakotay returned to the bridge and resumed their course home at warp two. The chances of needing to repair the ship on a planet’s surface seemed unlikely, and hopefully they would come across genuinely friendly aliens willing to trade them much needed parts for repairs. 

He sat in his chair and brushed his fingers across the middle console, sparing a glance to Kathryn’s empty chair. Knowing what the response would be before he even tapped his combadge, he contacted the Doctor.

“She’s still resting, Commander, and will continue to rest for another hour. At least.” Chakotay sighed at the firmness in his voice and shook his head.

“Thank you, Doctor,” he finally said, ending the link. He turned in his seat to look behind him, eyes resting on the Chief of Security after a moment. “The Tylians have all been escorted off the ship?”

“Yes, sir,” Tuvok answered. “There were two ships left over and I have teams rechecking every deck, but scans show no alien lifeforms.”

“Internal sensors are fixed, then?”

“B”Elanna’s fixing them right now.” Chakotay turned back around to see Tom and raised an eyebrow. “Tuvok was using roundabout scans and we’ll know for sure when internal sensors are back online.”

“Keep your teams searching then, just in case,” Chakotay told Tuvok, settling back into his seat. “We don’t need another alien taking control of someone.” Suddenly, he stood up. “I’ll be in Sick Bay until the captain wakes up.”

Without waiting for acknowledgement, he hurried off the Bridge and returned to Sick Bay. Once inside, he sought out the Doctor instead of Kathryn first.

“I told you, Commander,” the Doctor began, nearly rolling his eyes in exasperation.

“Yes, I know. I’m here to speak to you.” He crossed his arms.

“Oh. Oh, well then. What can I help you with?”

“Can you look at the scans you took of Kathryn after she returned from the planet? I want to know if there’s a way to identify one of those aliens when they’re inside someone’s head. Especially since our sensors didn’t seem to pick anything up.”

“Yes, I was already in the process of answering that question.” He led Chakotay to a console and entered a few commands on it until it displayed side by side scans of Kathryn. “At first, they look completely identical, but the differences are so very minute.”

“They look identical.”

“They’re not.” He pointed to three areas near the center and front of her brain. “These areas are a few lumens brighter than the rest. Enough that human eyes might not even be able to tell a difference; you’re lucky I’m a computer program.”

“So, she had bright spots in her brain while the alien was…” He trailed off as the made the connections. “That is the alien. Those three spots.”

“Indeed. The alien was literally light in her brain, something the ship’s sensors can’t pick up and definitely can’t isolate like it does with other invaders and parasites.”

“Vaela was already in her head when she returned from the planet and remained hidden while they damaged systems.”

“To the point that she could contact the rest of the invading force and have them here to finish taking over the ship,” the Doctor continued, his eyes still focused on the scans. 

“Clever,” Chakotay admitted, his head slowly shaking. “We got lucky.”

“No, the Tylians picked the wrong Starfleet officer to possess.”

“That they did.” He took a deep breath. “I want scans of every crew member to ensure no one else is possessed. Can you do that?”

“Of course, now that I know what to look for.”

“Good, coordinate it with Lieutenant Tuvok. I’ll sit with Kathryn until she wakes up.”

“Aye, Commander.” The Doctor nodded and walked away, leaving Chakotay to gravitate to Kathryn’s side.


	5. Chapter 5

By the end of the day, Kathryn was curled up in her own bed and all senior officers were cleared by the Doctor. Chakotay returned from his shift, moving quietly as he entered their quarters and kicked off his boots. He picked them up on his way to the bedroom and set them out of the way, his uniform quickly shucked and tossed into the ‘fresher. He pulled on a pair of pajama bottoms and slid under the covers beside Kathryn, his arm naturally fitting around her and holding her close.

“Chakotay?” she murmured, his name barely understandable through her haze of sleep. 

“I’m here, sweetheart. Go back to sleep.” He kissed her head and smiled.

“No…” She rubbed at her eyes and sat up on her elbow to look at him in the dim light. “What happened?”

“We can talk about it in the morning. You need to rest.”

She scowled and sat all the way up, her fingers tangling in the top blanket to pull it closer. “No, now.”

He sighed and reluctantly sat up as well, leaning his back against the headboard. He offered his arm to her and she slowly shifted closer, nestling against his side. “What is the last thing you remember?”

“Leaving Tylus,” she answered after a few moments, her head coming to rest on his shoulder. 

“So, you remember what happened on Tylus? With Vaela inhabiting your mind to communicate with you?”

“Yes, of course.”

He looked down at her and her brow furrowed. “They never actually left. Vaela stayed in your head and tried to take over. Not just you, but Voyager too.”

“They… What did I do?” Fear mixed with something he couldn’t identify slipped into her voice. 

“You didn’t do anything.” He stressed the first word and shifted so he could look into her eyes. “None of this was your fault, it was all Vaela and the Tylians.”

“What did they do?” She asked instead. 

“Vaela used you to damage critical systems, stopping us from realizing they were here and that ships were following. They almost had control, but you fought them. You fought so hard, Kathryn.”

“How did you get rid of them?”

“Tuvok and security teams cleared out most of them, returned them to their ships. I decompressed the Bridge and Vaela ended up in space.”

“Oh…” She pressed closer, her arm winding around him to anchor them together. “Crew is okay?”

“No one was hurt. You were the one we were worried about.” He kissed her head and held her closer. 

“Voyager is okay?”

“B’Elanna is heading up repairs and your ship will be as fine as she was before.” He smiled a little and soothingly rubbed her arm.

“Our ship,” she murmured. “She’s our ship.”

His smile widened as he looked down at her. “Our ship,” he repeated.

“I love you, Chakotay.” She tilted her head and looked up at him, a yawn stopping her next words.

He waited for it to pass and then kissed her softly. “I love you too, Kathryn. More than every star in the known universe.”

She kissed him and wrapped her other arm around him, but he gently rested a hand on her chest to stop it from going further.

“You need to rest, sweetheart. The Doctor says you’re physically fine, but the fight still took a lot out of you. You’re off duty for a week.”

She was quiet for a few moments and he watched her struggle play out on her face. “Will you take it off too?” she finally asked.

“Of course,” he answered immediately. “I have saved up holodeck time we can use, and Tuvok will be fine in charge for a week.”

“Then I love you.” She smiled and allowed him to lay her down, instantly cuddling against his side. 

He held her close and tucked the blankets in around her, pausing to press a few kisses to her head, forehead, and temples. He inhaled the faint scent of her shampoo and promised to himself he’d pamper her with baths and massages in the coming week.


End file.
